KOCHI: As the Aam Aadmi Party and Kitex-backed Twenty20 are preparing to contest the upcoming Kochi corporation election, V4 Kochi, an apolitical collective formed in 2020, has decided not to contest.
In 2020, the apolitical outfit fielded candidates in 59 divisions of the corporation and secured 10 per cent of the total votes.
However, V4 Kochi is fielding candidates in the Chellanam panchayat, where severe sea erosion has become a major issue.
“The Twenty20 Party and the Aam Aadmi Party have announced that they will contest in the Kochi Municipal Corporation and Thrikkakara Municipality, and preparations are under way for that. In this situation, if ‘V4 Kochi’ contests in the Kochi Corporation and Thrikkakara Municipality, the votes of the people seeking alternatives will likely be split. We don’t want that to happen. The aim is to avoid confusion among voters seeking alternatives in this election,” said Nipun Cherian, president of V4 Kochi.
He added that V4 Kochi has disagreements with the Aam Aadmi and Twenty20 parties regarding ideology, political approaches, and other issues.
V4 Kochi had contested in 59 divisions of the Kochi Corporation in the past local body election. The party secured 10 per cent of the total votes. The candidates, Mary Dincy in Nazareth, Shibu Chammany in Palarivattom, and Ashley Rose in Ayyappankavu divisions, secured second position in the election too. The party played a significant role in deciding the fate of several UDF and LDF candidates also.
According to Nipun, the party has long-term plans and will be positioned as a humanist outfit.
“We will focus on values of freedom, progress, scientific consciousness, and environmental sustainability. However, we need to be specific about what the alternative is for the established political parties,” he added.
To contest in Chellanam
“There is a general opinion that V4 Kochi should contest in the Chellanam grama panchayat in the LSG elections to be held in November-December. We have been actively working among the people in coastal areas in Chellanam, especially Maruvakkad, and a decision has been made to enter the election fray. The wards and candidates will be decided in the coming days,” added Nipun.